


Radio Romance

by thestarsalonecantell



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, awkward people will be awkward, florist doyoung, radio host johnny, rapper taeyong, taeil secretly loves gossip, yuta and ten are demons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-18 08:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14209131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarsalonecantell/pseuds/thestarsalonecantell
Summary: He stops in his tracks when he sees that the man in front of him is none other than the living, breathing, Lee Taeyong himself, alarmingly handsome despite the facemask he's wearing, and shorter than expected. Dongyoung almost forgets to breathe, because this is the person he's idolised for years, right in front of him. Also, the person that caused him to embarrass himself on a well-known radio station.------Dongyoung would never expect that TY himself would walk into his shop in a million years. It's just his luck that this very thing happens days after his massive idol crush on the rapper is announced on Youngho's station. Hopefully Taeyong doesn't work out that the awkward "regular caller" and the surprisingly confident florist are one and the same.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Maggie is back on her shit again folks.
> 
> Sleepless nights and lots of caffeine have brought you this mess of a fic- which I was planning to post as one long chapter but I got kind of impatient. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Dongyoung's nightly routine goes like this: he gets into bed after a hard day's work at the shop, and turns on the radio so he can listen to his friend's radio show.

Well, technically, he only knows the guy because he's Taeil's boyfriend, but he reckons they've met enough times for him to be known as a friend- although Dongyoung has threatened him many times so he thinks the older man only tolerates him as Taeil's best friend. He still calls in to the radio show every now and then to show his support (not even half as often as Taeil does though). This might just be one of those nights, but he's not decided yet.

"Good evening everyone, ladies, gentlemen and all those in between! Welcome to Johnny's Night Night!" Dongyoung relaxes back onto his pillow. "Today's special guest is someone you might just have heard of, a rapidly rising rapper-" is this who he thinks it is? "Lee Taeyong, otherwise known as TY!" And Dongyoung's choking on air as the name of his idol (crush) is read out by his best friend's boyfriend. So much for trying to listen peacefully before sleeping.

"Taeyong-ssi, it's such a pleasure to have you here." Youngho is saying whilst Dongyoung is trying to wrap his head around the situation. A voice replies, "It's a pleasure to be here." and suddenly the poor soul in bed at once forgets his suffering in order to listen to the voice he adores. Unfortunately, in his opinion, it only lasts for a few seconds before Youngho's talking again, asking a question about performing. Taeyong answers, cracking a joke, and Dongyoung enjoys listening to him talk about his life. This is the first time he's really _wanted_ to listen, mostly only tuning in because of a sense of loyalty to Taeil. (Also Youngho is quite funny on his station, but Dongyoung would rather poke his own eyes out with a corn on the cob skewer than actually admit that to the other and inflate his ego even more.)

Before he knows it, Youngho is saying, "It's time to open up the line, folks! So if anybody wants to call in and say something to either myself or Taeyong, now's your chance!" He then says something in English, which Dongyoung can't understand, but he picks up his mobile from his bedside table anyway. Should he... shouldn't he? Does he even have anything to say anyway? He might be talking to _the_ Lee Taeyong if he does! But what's the worst that can happen? He decides to put away his thoughts and just call, since he's that sort of person. The call is picked up on the third ring, and Youngho says, both through his phone and on the radio, "Hello! What's your name?"

"It's Doyoung." Dongyoung says, and Youngho laughs.

"It's the regular caller, Doyoung! As I predicted, you've called tonight of all nights." Dongyoung can hear the teasing tone of Youngho's voice, so he grouches, "Shut up, hyung." But it's too late, as Youngho says, "Taeyong-ssi, did you know that Doyoung's been to... what, three of your concerts?"

"Wow, I'm flattered." Taeyong chuckles, and Dongyoung is simultaneously ecstatic that Taeyong is laughing because of him, and also slightly miffed because the man is laughing at his expense. "Would I be correct in assuming you're a fan then?" Then all the previous feelings are cast aside, because Lee Taeyong is talking to him, a scenario he only expected to occur in his dreams.

"Um... maybe." Dongyoung says, embarrassed that Youngho's exposing him. "I like your rapping." Of course, Youngho just has to go and stick his foot in it.

"Now, the Doyoung I know is never shy like this... Go on, why don't you tell our special guest about that time you begged Taeil-hyung to buy you TY's first album when we were out and you didn't have your wallet-"

"Hyung, are you asking for me to release all the blackmail material I have on you?" That shuts Youngho up, before Taeyong says, "Well, if it's any consolation, Doyoung-ssi," he called him Doyoung-ssi! "I think it's cute." Dongyoung feels he might faint on the spot- until he realises that he has to answer Taeyong.

"Oh, um. Thank you. I think you're cute- I mean, um, sorry-" Great job, Dongyoung thinks. You had a chance to make a good impression and you ruined it.

Youngho, being useful for once, interrupts him. "Sorry, Doyoung, but your time is up." Dongyoung hangs up without another word, mortified that even while Youngho was speaking, he could hear his idol laughing , _at him_. Over the radio, Taeyong continues to laugh whilst Youngho says, "So, that was my friend, a complete TY fanboy." before Dongyoung can't bear to hear any more, turning off the radio and pulling his duvet over his head.  
  
  
  
  
  


Over the next few days, he tries his very hardest to forget the incident, although he cringes whenever he sees the TY merchandise strewn about his flat, of which he has a lot. After a while, it seems like it's working, because Dongyoung doesn't dwell upon it during every waking moment anymore. He still can't check Twitter without seeing TY's name in conjunction what fans of both Youngho's channel and TY himself have affectionately dubbed "Regular Caller Doyoung" - of course, none of them know who he really is, for which he thanks God. But after seeing one tweet that read "Taeyong and Johnny's regular caller Doyoung not-so-indirectly calling each other cute- another win for the gays, folks", Dongyoung doesn't find it so hard to stay away from Twitter. So he puts all of his energy into the shop, and his friendships. Speaking of which, Dongyoung yelled at Youngho so much the next time he saw him that the man bought him five tubes of Pringles as an apology. Taeil, however, wasn't much help, being too soft on Youngho to do anything other than give him a disappointed look, though, now Dongyoung thinks about it, that might have done more than all of his shouting.  
  
  
  
  
  


"Oh, you have to be kidding me." Dongyoung mutters to himself, looking over the list of order forms from behind the counter. "Mark!"

The young employee rushes over from the back room, looking concerned. "What is it, hyung?"

"I've only gone and ordered the wrong type of flower for the Jeon family." Mark groans- the Jeon family are wealthy regulars of the shop, infamous for being very pedantic about the arrangements they buy, and very rude when things don't go their way. "Can you do me a favour and write the emails for me? You know how snappy I get when Mrs Jeon suggests I'm incompetent, and you're a nice kid, maybe they won't be as bad."

Mark looks absolutely devastated at the idea of having to liaison with them through email, and Dongyoung knows he doesn't deserve all the aggro he's going to get, hell, nobody does. So he sighs and says, "I'll pay you extra." The teenager's face lights up at that, and he agrees. Dongyoung pats him on the shoulder in sympathy, concealing his relief at not being the one to deal with the passive-aggressive Jeon matriarch. Mark disappears into the back room after that, and the elder leans on the counter. He can only imagine how the boy's going to suffer, when it's all his fault in the first place. Dealing with rude customers is the worst - especially for someone who's only taken the part-time job so he can pay for university in the autumn. Then again, Dongyoung is paying him extra, and he might just give him the day off when he's done. It seems to be a quiet day today, not many people wanting to buy flower bouquets or arrangements, or if they are, just getting one from the supermarket instead of a custom arrangement.

Just at that moment, the bell rings to signal the door opening. How ironic, Dongyoung thinks as he looks up to greet the person walking in.

He stops in his tracks when he sees that the man in front of him is none other than the living, breathing, Lee Taeyong himself, alarmingly handsome despite the facemask he's wearing, and shorter than expected. Dongyoung almost forgets to breathe, because this is the person he's idolised for years, right in front of him. Also, the person that caused him to embarrass himself on a well-known radio station. He suddenly really wants to call Mark to come deal with this for him.

Then he remembers that TY has no idea who he is, and he regains the ability to control himself and stay professional. "Good afternoon, TY-ssi, how may I help you?" The man takes the facemask away from his mouth and smiles, and wow, his smile is even nicer in person.

"I guessed you already knew who I was, going by your reaction when I walked in. There's no need to stand on ceremony, I'm only here to buy a bouquet of flowers." Dongyoung nods, smiling back a little despite the butterflies wreaking havoc in his stomach.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like?" He idly wonders who Taeyong is buying the flowers for, but it isn't any of his business.

"Um... flowers that mean 'thank you'? I went on a radio show recently-" Dongyoung briefly freezes up at the mention, then reminds himself that Taeyong doesn't know it was him who made a fool of himself,"and the host was very accommodating, I'd like to show my gratitude to him for having me there." So he's just as humble as he seems on the telly... interesting. Dongyoung gets to work, moving out from behind the counter and going over to the displays of flowers, being extra careful to not trip over the bin just to the side - he normally stumbles every time.

"Well, I'd say... some blue campanulas. These mean simply "thank you", but a bouquet of just these would be rather simple, and I know Johnny isn't too big a fan of-" He stops himself mid-sentence, realising he's just told Taeyong that he knows Johnny, and from there, it won't be hard for the elder to put two and two together.

"So you know Johnny?" Dongyoung can only nod, face reddening. "His boyfriend is my best friend." He mutters. Taeyong, however, doesn't say anything other than "boyfriend, huh." So Dongyoung can draw two conclusions: the first being that the rapper isn't homophobic (the florist briefly considers the notion that he might like guys, before deciding not to get his hopes up), and the second that either the elder really hasn't worked out that he is regular caller Doyoung, or has, and doesn't want to embarrass him. 

"As I was saying, Johnny doesn't like simple all that much, so to add some interest, I think you'd do well with some lavender sweet peas, which mean "thank you for a lovely time." Perhaps some white camellias?" Dongyoung shakes off his embarrassment in favour of scrutinising the flowers in question, before making up his mind and plucking out the ones he wants, arranging them in a way that looks good to him and finally turning to Taeyong. "Is this what you were looking for?"

"Wow." The rapper looks impressed. "That looks really good. You know Johnny-ssi better than I do, so I trust your judgement if you think he'll like it." Dongyoung can't help but feel proud that he managed to impress a famous person, _especially_ one he looks up to so much. "How much will that be?"

Dongyoung tells him as he walks back behind the counter, and the man finds the correct amount in his wallet whilst Dongyoung wraps the bouquet. Shortly after, they exchange, Taeyong handing over the money and receiving the flowers. The younger expects him to leave immediately after that, but he stops, and Dongyoung watches as he picks a business card up from the counter, slips it into his pocket and leans in slightly. "I'm going to be crucified for skipping filming, but it was worth it." He says, almost conspiratorially, then he does actually leave, placing the mask back over his mouth and nose to hide his (disarming) smile as he does so, and Dongyoung lets out a breath he didn't know he's been holding in.

"Mark!" He yells, and hears a reply from the back room. "You can have the rest of the day off once you're done with those emails."  
  
  
  
  
  


Taeil thinks he's joking at first, when Dongyoung rushes into the café and trips over his words trying to tell him. " _The_ TY? In your shop? Pull the other one." However, the look of utter despair that Dongyoung directs at him seems to convince him that the younger is telling the truth. "Well, go on then, tell me about it!"

By the time Dongyoung's finished recounting the story, Youngho, who'd been so uncharacteristically quiet that the black haired male had forgotten he was even there, guffaws. "So that's why he looked at me weirdly when he gave me those flowers. He was probably expecting me to recognise that you arranged them or something."  

Dongyoung arches an eyebrow. "Well, why didn't you? You've been in my shop enough times to see how I work." Youngho shrugs in response, saying, "Flowers are flowers dude." Dongyoung glares at him.

"Anyway, the whole thing where he picked up your business card and all that." Taeil interjects hastily, trying to dispel the hostility in the air (mostly on Dongyoung's part- he still hasn't completely forgiven Youngho, sue him). "Sounds kind of like flirting to me." He shrugs.

The youngest doesn't even let himself entertain the idea, and scoffs. "He doesn't know me, why would he want to flirt with me? I'm more worried that he's going to face repercussions for missing filming, and you guys should be too."

Taeil dismisses it immediately. "He'll be fine, guys like him can get away with anything." I'm more curious whether he's straight, or interested in you." Of course he is, Mr Moon "I-pretend-to-be-sensible-but-actually-I'm-a-gossip" Taeil. 

"He seems like a straightforward kind of guy." Youngho comments. "I imagine he'd want to get to know you if he was interested. Besides, after the broadcast finished he said that you sounded cute all flustered. He didn't even say no homo."

"Babe, nobody actually says no homo anymore except the most obnoxious of people." Taeil reminds his boyfriend, placing his hand on top of Youngho's resting on top of the table. Dongyoung hides his smile at their domesticity behind his coffee cup, god forbid they find out that he's in awe of their relationship.

"Yeah, but he might as well have been saying no hetero, that was how gay it was."

"You're making things up, besides, I don't even think he figured out that it was me." Dongyoung accuses, but the tallest shakes his head.

"Either way, you're a looker, anyone who likes guys would want to go for you." Taeil nods in agreement.

Dongyoung sighs. "You know, Youngho-hyung, that might be the first thing you've said today that I don't entirely disagree with." Taeil laughs, and Youngho deadpans, "I must have reached a god-tier level of wisdom."  
  
  


 

The next day, Dongyoung thinks he's hallucinating when TY walks into his shop again with his facemask. He even goes as far as waving his hand in front of his eyes and subtly pinching himself on the thigh, before he resigns himself to the fact that this is real and the man really is in his shop for the second time. "Hello, TY-ssi. It's certainly a surprise to see you here again. How may I help you?" The man smiles at him.

"Please, I'm just Taeyong in here. Do you have any flowers that say 'sorry for almost giving you a heart attack'? My manager's very upset with me."

The laugh escapes Dongyoung before he can hold it in; he covers his mouth, embarrassed, but Taeyong just blinks surprisedly before breaking out into a smile which has Dongyoung struggling to think.

"I think," the taller says once he's managed to compose himself, "I can arrange you something that says 'sorry'. I'm not so sure about the heart attack part though." As before, he moves from behind the counter to study the displays. "What on earth did you do to upset your manager so much?" He asks, suspecting that he knows the answer already.

"I snuck out from filming to buy flowers." Taeyong says, and a glance behind shows that the elder is watching him, an easy smile on his face. Dongyoung smiles a little to himself, wondering whether the signs he's picking up are merely his own wishful thinking; he blames Taeil for putting the idea in his head.

"That's reckless of you." Dongyoung teases, and he can't believe his own boldness; has he forgotten who he's talking to? "I thought you were supposed to be responsible?"

Taeyong chuckles from his position by the counter. "Sometimes being responsible is too much pressure, I needed a break and an excuse for taking one." Dongyoung doesn't know how to reply to that, gathering purple hyacinths and yellow roses.

Once he's done, he silently holds the bouquet out for Taeyong to look at. The shorter man says, "Hmm... Not sure I like the arrangement." At the no doubt crestfallen expression on Dongyoung's face, he laughs. "I'm kidding, it looks nice. My manager will love it."

"Ah, famous people messing around with the mere mortals, too cruel for words." Dongyoung grumbles, but when Taeyong just smiles wider he realises that he's failed to hide the smile on his own face.

After Taeyong pays, Dongyoung tells him, "I hope your manager isn't too annoyed ." Taeyong hums. "With these flowers, I don't think he will be." He smiles. At that moment, the bell chimes as the door opens. Mark walks in to start his shift, laptop under his arm, saying, "Mrs Jeon emailed back last night and I think-" He stops dead in his tracks when he clocks the presence of TY in the shop. "Holy shit, man." He whispers in English, and it's _so_ cute that he thinks it will get past Dongyoung.

"Mark, language! Taeyong-ssi, this is Mark, my employee and aspiring rapper himself." Mark looks shell-shocked as Taeyong moves to shake his hand, and Dongyoung catches his eye, mouthing "you're welcome." They begin to talk earnestly about rap (Dongyoung tunes out, not knowing any of the technical stuff they're talking about), before Mark stops midsentence, turning to him. "Doyoung-hyung, I forgot to tell you," was distracted by Taeyong, more like, "I think I lost us our wealthiest customer."

 "You what?" Dongyoung grabs at the air, gesturing for the laptop, and Mark complies, opening it so that the page of emails is visible. The taller studies it intently - in his peripheral vision he can see the rapper looking on with interest, but he's too focused on the emails to care all that much. When he sees what Mark's talking about, he bursts out laughing. "You absolute nitwit, this is tame." He shakes his head at how utterly nice the teenager is. "If you think something like this is going to scare the Jeons away, you're so wrong. They've come back time and again after I've been a petty bitch to them, because they can't find any better florist. You're fine." He ruffles Mark's hair (it's his worst-kept secret that he dotes on the kid) and smiles, forgetting that there's a third person present.

It's then that Taeyong clears his throat. Dongyoung's head snaps up, and the surprise must be evident on his face, for the eldest laughs. Mark looks awestruck once again as Taeyong speaks. "I've got to get back now, otherwise I'll need two bouquets for my manager." He smiles, and suddenly Dongyoung knows exactly how Mark feels. "See you next time!"

As soon as he's gone, Mark turns to him in disbelief. "Did that really just happen?"

"Yeah. He was in here before, when you were emailing in the back room. Don't worry, the whole star-struck thing wears off." The younger gapes at him. "I'm serious, at first I was tripping over myself - hopefully he didn't notice... Hold the phone." Dongyoung stops suddenly. "Did he say 'next time'?" He feels weak all of a sudden, and leans against the counter.

"Yeah, looks like it really wears off, hyung." 

"Don't be cheeky."

He hates to admit it, but Mark _may_ have a point. 


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Business is booming - Dongyoung finds out why, and soon after, the cause appears to apologise in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!  
> I hope you enjoy, and if you do, maybe leave a kudo or comment? :))))

"So he's been in your shop twice?" Yuta asks, folding his arms. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

Dongyoung groans, tipping his head back and staring at the ceiling of his living room. "Taeil-hyung said the same thing- do you all really think that I would lie about my idol?" Yuta considers this for a few seconds, turning to Ten who's sat right next to him, and they both nod.

"Yeah, we kind of do."

"Ah, my word... I should just start hanging out with Jungwoo, he's the only good friend I have, it seems."

"Slander!" Taeil yells from the kitchen. "You could never have a better friend than me."

"You wish!" Dongyoung yells back. Although he does love his friends and enjoy their company, he can feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. Perhaps inviting three of them around at one time was a bad idea- even if he only asked Yuta, who dragged the other two along unbeknownst to him.

Taeil joins them in the living room with two cups of tea, one of which he hands to Ten. When Dongyoung looks up at him in disbelief, seeing Yuta do the same, the eldest shrugs, adopting the innocent look he always uses. "What? I don't have four hands, the other two are in the kitchen."

Dongyoung stands up, volunteering to fetch the tea for both himself and Yuta. He breathes a sigh of relief once he's in the kitchen; finally, some peace and quiet. A few moments pass, in which Dongyoung relishes in the calm atmosphere of the kitchen, before he grabs the two cups and takes them into the living room.

"I still don't understand why we couldn't have had alcohol." Yuta grumbles, but thanks Taeil all the same as Dongyoung passes him the mug which contains the stronger tea.

"I'm not letting you drink before 1pm, hyung, especially not here."

"Dude, I thought you were my friend, not my second mother."

Taeil lifts his head from his cup and says, "Actually, I'm with him this time." tilting his head towards Dongyoung. "I've got dinner with Youngho later and the last thing I need is you lot trying to get me drunk beforehand." He takes another sip, raising his eyebrows at the teasing that is sent his way.

"How does it feel being the only non-single person out of all of us?" Ten asks, before sighing wistfully. "Youngho-hyung is hot, I'll give you that." Dongyoung watches with amusement and sips his tea as Taeil takes his own mug of tea away from his mouth to say in that calm voice of his, "Maybe you'd have a hot boyfriend too, if you'd finally admit that you've caught feelings for that friend with benefits of yours."

Yuta bursts out in raucous laughter, and Ten squeals, "It's not like that, hyung," but nobody listens to him, so he changes the subject. "Actually, Jungwoo's getting on well with that guy he's tutoring, isn't he? The one who's a year younger than him?"

"That's right." Yuta adds, before turning his gaze to Dongyoung, who knows from the look alone that he's next in line for the teasing. " And Doyoungie here is being hit on by a _celebrity_ , so it looks like I'm the only one who's going to be forever alone."

Dongyoung scoffs- he finds himself doing that more and more often recently. "Just because he's bought flowers doesn't mean he wants anything to do with me. You guys sound like teenage girls who write shitty fanfiction." The mention of the shop sparks a memory, and he stops, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Speaking of flowers, I need to text Mark."

"To ask whether TY's been in?" Taeil asks, a glint in his eye.

"No, of course not." The thought hadn't even crossed Dongyoung's mind. Really. "I asked Mark to keep an eye on the new seventeen year old employee who's starting today. He seemed very... loud in the interview. I want to know how he's getting on." He sees he's already received a text from the teenager as it lights up his phone screen.

 

hyung why didn't you tell me the new guy looks like the literal sun sjkdhdhsksksksk  
( _12:43_ )

 

Dongyoung smiles, wanting to indulge Mark. Unfortunately, he has to stay professional, and the wellbeing of the shop is more pressing than Mark's "gay awakening", as Taeil - who is looking over his shoulder along with Yuta and Ten- so wisely describes it. "I feel like my son is growing up." Dongyoung jokes, wiping a non-existent tear from his eye before typing out a reply.

 

As much as I would enjoy hearing about your newfound infatuation, can you tell me about how he's working?  
( _12:47_ )

nobody said anything about infatuation but anyway  
( _12:48_ )

he knows a lot about flowers  
( _12:48_ )

and is very customer friendly  
( _12:49_ )

mrs jeon came in earlier and she loves him  
( _12:49_ )

 

Mrs Jeon? Loves the new employee? "The kid's a fucking miracle." Dongyoung breathes. Ten pats him on the back in a comforting fashion, saying, "It must be rough when a seventeen year old kid is better at your job than you are." teasingly.

"The day I base my success upon how much I impress the bloody Jeon family will be the day I die, I can assure you of that." His attention is taken away from his phone to retort, so he fails to notice the new incoming message until Yuta laughs and nudges him. "Doyoung, look."

 

lol ty came in a while ago and the new dude ran into the back room screaming about a spot on his face so I had to deal with him  
( _12:51_ )

 

More messages pop up as Dongyoung looks on in surprise.

 

the disappointed look on his face when he realised when you weren't here was priceless  
( _12:52_ )

something going on there, hyung?  
( _12:52_ )

 

" _Just because he bought flowers doesn't mean he wants anything to do with me_." Ten says in a poor imitation of Dongyoung's own voice whilst the tallest of the lot sits there, stunned. "Nice try, Doyoungie."

Dongyoung scrambles for anything that will quell false hope, and more importantly, stop the others from making fun of him. "Maybe Mark's trying to mess with me." But in his heart of hearts he knows that Mark is perhaps the most honest person he knows, and the teen wouldn't lie to him or exaggerate something like that. A feeling builds up in his chest, and it feels suspiciously like hope; what does it mean if Taeyong was disappointed by his absence?

The looks on his friends' faces show that they also know that, but Dongyoung quickly changes the subject and they humour him, for once.

 

Doyoung hyung  
( _13:03_ )

why'd you leave me on read :(  
( _13:04_ )  
  
  
  


The next day, Dongyoung opens up the shop, and shortly after, Lee Donghyuck, the new employee, enters. "Morning boss!" He says cheerfully, despite it being eight o'clock on a Saturday morning. Dongyoung, naturally, is incredibly grumpy about this, but the sight of the boy's smile cheers him up a little, which only confirms the statement he made the day before: the kid _is_ a miracle.

"You can call me Doyoung-hyung if you want, I'm not that kind of employer." He mutters, rubbing his eyes blearily whilst he picks out the bad flowers from the displays- he misses having the time to sleep for 14 hours straight. "I heard you managed to charm Mrs Jeon yesterday."

"Do you mean the little old lady? She was lovely." At this Dongyoung snorts, "lovely" being the last word he'd ever use to describe her. "Seemed kind of angry at first, but after I talked to her and showed how the other flowers you'd ordered would work as well as the ones she originally wanted, she was alright."

Dongyoung finally manages to wake up a little. "Donghyuck, you were dealing with the worst customer we've had to date. She loves flowers, but hates me with a passion, and she dislikes Mark at least a little bit. You've performed something which is near impossible- especially with the wrong type of flower." He picks up the waste bin of bad flowers, balancing it on his knee before finding a comfortable way to hold it. "I doubt there'll be any customers this early, but can you keep an eye on the place while I take these out the back?"

He disposes of the flowers quickly, and re-enters the shop, bin held by one arm, to see Donghyuck struggling to deal with a group of- Dongyoung quickly counts them- five teenage girls. One is telling the boy (loudly) which flowers she wants, and another is rapidly asking him questions, as the other three stand behind them whispering.

"I only started working here yesterday," Donghyuck is saying, a strained smile on his face, "I don't know much." He picks out one flower from the display, then is told, "no, not _that_ one, the _other_ one!" so puts it back with a grimace. Then he spots Dongyoung surveying the scene, and turns to the girl who is asking all the questions. "Look, there's the owner, why don't you go ask him while I find these flowers?" The expression he sports is one that is familiar to Dongyoung, it's one that appears on his own face when he's about to snap at someone, and it causes the florist to reassess his employee. So maybe the boy who acts cheerful all the time has another side to him. Dongyoung likes him infinitely more than he did before.

The girl he was talking to turns, hair whipping around and in Donghyuck's face (he glares at the back of her head, at which Dongyoung conceals a laugh) as she flounces over to him. "How many times has TY been in here, which flowers did he buy, and whom for?" She asks, mouth spitting out the words with a tempo akin to a machine gun , and Dongyoung has two thoughts. Firstly, how on earth did she find out that TY had been in the shop? Secondly, this girl really needs to learn to stay out of people's personal space, as she's far too close for comfort. He takes a small step backwards, then realises he has to actually answer her.

"I don't think I'm at liberty to give away customer information like that, how did you...?"

"You really don't know?" She sounds incredulous. "It's all over the internet! Wait a second, I'll show you." She opens her tiny sequinned bag and pulls out a phone, which she quickly unlocks. After a few more seconds, she shows him an article.

"SM RAPPER TY PICTURED ENTERING A FLOWER SHOP AND LEAVING WITH A BOUQUET - IS THERE A LOVE INTEREST IN THE PICTURE?"

Beneath the headline is a picture of Taeyong walking into the shop, obviously taken from far away, and three paragraphs of speculation as to whether TY has a girlfriend. Dongyoung can't help but stifle a laugh, as these girls seem to think that the rapper is buying flowers to woo someone, when that couldn't be further from the truth. "Well," he begins, "thank you for showing me this... enlightening article. Now if you," he glances at the gaggle of girls standing in the middle of the shop, "and the rest could wait outside for your friend to purchase her flowers?"

The girl's mouth opens in surprise and indignation. "You're not going to tell me?"

"Of course not, it's my business as much as it is yours, that's to say, not at all." He forces a smile onto his face and motions towards the door, and four of the girls walk out, defeated, as the other tries to bargain with poor Donghyuck over the price of the flowers. After a few seconds, Dongyoung decides that he should help the boy as it is only his second day, and walks behind the counter to join him.

"You mean I have to pay that much for a few measly flowers?"

Dongyoung steps in. "The price includes the custom arrangement you asked for- the pre-prepared bouquets are cheaper. Honestly, for all the hassle you put my employee through, you might just be charged more." After that, she hands over the correct amount of money without any more fuss, and leaves to join her friends outside. As soon as she's gone, Donghyuck huffs a sigh of relief. "It's not always like this, is it?"

"No." Dongyoung replies. "TY coming into the shop hit some of the trashy news sites- hold up, look sharp, there are more coming in."

The rest of the day continues like this, many people wanting to buy flowers from the same shop that TY had. After an hour, Dongyoung has to call Mark in for an extra pair of hands, and promises to pay him overtime. He can't help his head whipping around every time the bell rings and the door opens, even though he knows it's madness and Taeyong wouldn't come in when it's so busy- his manager would probably have instructed him to keep away from the shop because of this. People keep trying to ask about the rapper, but Dongyoung only says, "I'm not at liberty to give out customer information." Donghyuck and Mark soon cotton on to this, and they say the same thing whenever they are asked by the multitudes of customers.  
  
  
  


After a few days, it cools off, and a week later Dongyoung is alone in the shop, so pleasantly surprised by the lack of people that he'd sent the two teenaged employees home with a warning to be careful on the way. It's only a few minutes until closing, so he sinks onto the floor behind the counter, not even caring about the dust as he takes the time to relax.

That is, until the bell attached to the door rings, and a voice which is far too familiar for Dongyoung's liking says "Hello?"

Dongyoung rushes to scramble up from the floor, grabbing onto the counter for assistance. "G-good evening, Taeyong-ssi." He mumbles, feeling his face flush at the embarrassment of being caught on the floor by the very person he wants to impress the most. As he stands face to face with the man, he realises that talking to him is a lot more nerve-wracking without the helpful distraction of flowers. "I was sure you wouldn't be allowed to visit again."

"Ah, about that... I'm not." Taeyong smiles sheepishly at him, face mask replaced by a cap pulled down over his eyes, which he now pulls up so his face is clearly visible. Dongyoung splutters. "Then what on earth are you doing here? I mean- it's lovely to see you, but you shouldn't be here if you're not allowed to be!"

The shorter man looks at him, wide-eyed... then begins to laugh, and Dongyoung, even though he's embarrassed by his outburst, can't help but enjoy the sound of the rapper's laughter. "I was wondering, you really didn't seem to be the same person- but now I see that you are that Doyoung." The younger has no idea what he's on about, until it clicks. Taeyong called him Doyoung; Taeyong knows that it was he who called in to Youngho's radio station.

His brain short-circuits, the butterflies in his stomach transform into birds, multiplying a thousand fold and chirping alarm calls, and he can't formulate any response other than stuttering, "H-how did you know?"

"Your employee called you Doyoung, I think you were talking about emails?" Dongyoung recognises the memory to be the second time Taeyong had walked into the shop, and he folds his arms and narrows his eyes at the elder.

"So you knew, and you didn't tell me?" Taeyong shrugs, saying nothing. "Wow, why am I a fan of you? You're really the worst."

"Hey, that's not nice!"

"I'm not nice." Dongyoung replies petulantly. "By the looks of it, you aren't either."

Taeyong leans over the counter a little, abashed smile shifting into a smirk-- whilst Dongyoung had always believed that TY's personality was at odds with his stage presence, this reminds him more of the rapper he has seen on stage than the man who buys flowers for his manager and smiles endearingly. "But you still think I'm cute anyway, right?"

Dongyoung gulps, not used to being teased in such a seemingly flirtatious manner (is this flirting or is he reading too much into it?), but decides that two can play this game, and rises to meet Taeyong's challenge with one of his own, leaning in as well. "You have plenty of fans who think the same; what difference will _my_ opinion make?" Despite how alarmingly nervous he feels at doing something so risqué with Lee Taeyong himself, he takes a bit of pride in the shock that crosses the elder's face at the switch in behaviour (Jungwoo once described Dongyoung's personality as "going from awkward as fuck to confident gay in five seconds- nobody can beat Ten-hyung though"). He also wonders how far this will go, there's no way the rapper will allow it to continue much longer for two reasons: he is far too responsible to do anything which might create any sort of scandal, and he's just not interested in Dongyoung. Sure, they get along well when Taeyong comes into the shop, but from a business point of view, that's not to mean anything other than the shorter man making sure that he keeps a fan interested enough to buy the merchandise.

His prediction is correct- Taeyong ends it there by clearing his throat and standing up straight. "Every fan makes a difference, of course." Dongyoung's a little disappointed by this turn of events, but it's not as if he expects anything more from it. Three and a half meetings aren't much anyway.

Even though the younger man can still feel his heart thumping in his chest after the proximity of Taeyong's face to his own.

Dongyoung manages to stay outwardly calm as he asks, "What kind of flowers are you looking for this time?"

"Oh, no, I'm not." Taeyong says hastily. "I just came to apologise for all the articles about your shop." He's looking down at the floor, fiddling with his thumbs, and it's such an endearing 180 from his previous manner that Dongyoung wants to cry.

"Those articles brought the shop the best bit of business we've had since I opened it. Really, you've nothing at all to apologise for." Dongyoung smiles. He then checks his watch and sees that it's long past closing time. "I'm sorry, I was meant to close up five minutes ago."

"Oh, of course." Taeyong smiles at him, and oh, how Dongyoung hates how weak he is for that smile. "I'd better get going." He pulls his cap back down over and his eyes, and the florist would be lying if he said that he doesn't miss the sight of his warm brown eyes as soon as they disappear from view.

 "Well, have a good night!"

"You too, Doyoung-ssi." And with that, Taeyong opens the door and slips out, leaving behind only the tinkle of the bell and the feeling that crawls up Dongyoung's chest and gets stuck in his throat as he locks the shop in complete silence other than his own thoughts.

He can't help but think his idol crush may be turning into a _real_ crush... in which case, he's well and truly stuffed.


End file.
